Ep 270: The Legend of the Wizard Clip
“On one gruesome afternoon, a lady visitor was complimenting Mrs. Livingstone on a fine flock of ducks waddling through her yard on their way, perhaps, to the neighboring Opequon Creek when ‘clip-clip’ went the uncanny and invisible shears. One after another, the ducks were cleanly decapitated in broad daylight before the very eyes of the ladies and many other witnesses.”
Description:
Adam Livingston moved his family from Pennsylvania to a parcel of farmland near a village then known as Smithfield, West Virginia, sometime in the 1770s. The village’s name would evolve over the years to the more pragmatic name of Middleway. However, colloquially, it would also acquire the moniker of “Clip” or “Cliptown” for the bizarre events that would transpire there. A few years before 1790, the once-thriving Livingston family would begin to endure supernatural harassment so extreme that they were beleaguered and exhausted, leaving their neighbors and visitors bewildered. According to one popular account, a mysterious Irish stranger appeared at Livingston’s door seeking shelter one dark and stormy night. Livingston provided hospitality to the weary traveler until the stranger summoned his host when fearing his death was near, begging that he send for a priest to deliver last rites. While Livingston was generous in his accommodation, being a Lutheran and having a disdain for Catholic priests, he refused to send for one. The stranger died during the night and was buried in unconsecrated ground the next day. Soon after, it seems a curse had befallen the Livingstons. Progressing as many stories of prolonged poltergeist bedevilment do, the haunting started with strange and unexplained noises about the home. Then, unseen forces would smash their crockery, light their bedding on fire, and roll great balls of fire from the hearth across the floors, causing panic. Livingston’s cattle all died, and his barn burned down. The entity’s most noteworthy destruction was making a persistent sound of clipping as if by invisible shears and leaving any family or visitor’s cloth or leather sliced, often with crescent shapes cut into them. This peculiar practice would lend the phenomenon its name, the “Wizard Clip.” While we may never know the accurate details of the happenings, something otherworldly apparently did materialize at the Livingston homestead. We can more easily explore why such mystical occurrences transmogrify into enduring folklore. To help us with that challenge, we’re joined by author and intelligence analyst Michael Kishbucher, whose recent book, The Appalachian Legend of the Wizard Clip, thoroughly investigates this early American story. Aiding in the elucidation is Appalachian folklore expert, lead researcher, and producer for Small Town Monsters Heather Moser. Cautiously pull up a chair close to the fire as we examine the obscure yet harrowing tale of “America’s first poltergeist.”
Reference Links:
CLICK HERE to purchase Mike Kishbucher’s book, The Appalachian Legend of the Wizard Clip
CLICK HERE to hear Heather Moser on the Bigfoot Society podcast
The Wizard Clip entry from The Middleway Conservancy website
“The Pig Lady Festival: Witching in Western Pennsylvania” on Facebook
“Father Gallitzin and the Cliptown Exorcism” from Catholicism.org
“Cause for the Canonization of Servant of God Demetrius Gallitzin, ‘Apostle of the Alleghenies’”
“The Devil of Glenluce” story, from Mysterious Britain & Ireland
George Sinclair, a Scottish mathematician, engineer, and demonologist.
“Famous 86-mile UFO chase in 1966 still defies Air Force 'explanation'“ from The Times
Location:
The Priest Field Pastoral Center, created from a 38-acre parcel of land sold to the Catholic Church for $1 by Adam Livingston in 1802 in gratitude for helping his family find peace from the torment of the Wizard Clip. From the Priest Field website: “After lying dormant for over a hundred and fifty years, Bishop Hodges appointed Msgr. John O’Reilly, the first director of Priest Field in 1978, where he began the work of constructing what has become a stunning place of refreshment and peace for thousands of visitors every year.”
Related Books:
Suggested Listening:
Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch
Comedian Rachel Dratch gets a little bit Woo Woo, discussing stories of the unexplained, the eerie, and other-worldly with her funny friends in her new comedy podcast, Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch. Along with her co-host Irene Bremis, Rachel invites guests to share stories they may only tell a trusted pal who will not judge. Psychics? Spirits? Astral Projection? Check, check, and check! Sure, you may think we live in a world where there’s a logical explanation for anything out of the ordinary, but after you spend some time with Rachel and her pals, you might have your doubts, and find that… you too are WOO WOO! Join Rachel, Irene, and friends in a comedy podcast that turns the mysterious into a lively conversation among kindred spirits. Search for Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch wherever you’re listening now!
Join us on Patreon!
Click HERE or go to patreon.com/astonishinglegends to become one of our Patreon members and receive exclusive offerings, like our bonus Astonishing Junk Drawer episodes (posted every weekend the main show is dark) commercial-free episodes, and more!
SPECIAL OFFERS FROM OUR SPECIAL SPONSORS:
FIND OTHER GREAT DEALS FROM OUR SHOW’S SPONSORS BY CLICKING HERE!
CREDITS:
Episode 270: The Legend of the Wizard Clip. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel of VW Sound. Music and Sound Design by Allen Carrescia. Tess Pfeifle, Producer and Lead Researcher. Ed Voccola, Technical Producer. Research Support from The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2023 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.